Utah faces off against Arizona State this weekend — a team it hasn’t beaten since joining the Pac-12. So to prepare for the showdown, The Daily Utah Chronicle talked with Matthew Tonis of The State Press to gain more insight on the upcoming match.
How was ASU able to put up 48 points over this past weekend?
The Sun Devils finally executed to the best of their abilities against Colorado, but also had some luck. The first score of the game came on a 28-yard run after a fumble, for example. Those bounces have seemed to go away from ASU all year, and the Sun Devils believe their luck is changing a bit, but it’s really about execution of the game plan, and ASU is doing that right now.
What are the Sun Devils going to have to do to replicate that performance?
ASU has to focus on not turning the ball over and managing the clock. The Sun Devils have fumbled a staggering 17 times this season but have been able to recover 10 of them. I don’t think they’ll be that lucky come Saturday if the butterfingers continue. If ASU can keep the ball and the clock moving, it will be able to, hopefully for the Sun Devils, force Utah to throw and try to force mistakes of their own.
What/who will Utah have to keep its eyes on and why?
Utah will have to watch for ASU’s defensive stalwarts this year in Salamo Fiso, Christian Sam and Antonio Longino. Fiso currently leads the NCAA in solo tackles, is the lone three-year starter on the roster and was named a captain Tuesday. Sam broke out in the season-opener against Texas A&M and leads the Sun Devils in sacks with three. Longino is coming off a season-best performance with seven tackles with four and a half coming behind the line of scrimmage. If Utah wins this game, it will be because those three were neutralized and avoided.
What/who will ASU struggle with?
ASU will struggle with the Utes’ secondary. As I said before, ASU struggles with ball security for the first time in the Todd Graham era, and Utah has been great at taking the ball away from opponents, making it difficult to foresee a scenario in which the Sun Devils play a mistake-free game.
What does a win/loss do for the Sun Devils?
A win for ASU makes them the odds-on favorite to win the Pac-12 South for the second time in three seasons, as ASU would continue to control its own destiny in the conference and would create a scenario that would be tough to overcome if Utah was to lose another game. A loss for the Sun Devils, however, would send ASU down a peg after a couple wins in a row, especially if it’s a blowout loss.
What do you think is going to be the deciding factor in Saturday night’s game?
I think special teams and the Utah run game will be the two biggest factors for Saturday. I believe these two teams have the two best kickers and two best punters in the conference, and this game will come down to which side can limit mistakes, as last year’s game did. ASU has been stellar at stopping the run this season against non-triple option teams, but this will be the front line’s biggest test. With SPUR Laiu Moeakiola banged up, it will be on the rest of the front seven to step up and stop the run again.
Who do you think will win and why?
I think Utah wins this one, 24-23, thanks to more exceptional special teams from Utah. The Sun Devils are reaching their full potential with back-to-back good wins, which leads me to believe this game will be closer than Utah fans probably would like. That being said, the forecasted rain and the hostile environment at Rice-Eccles will play against the desert-dwelling Sun Devils and give the edge to the home-standing Utes.
@kbrenneisen